5 ways to improve your resilience

Resilience is a precious skill to cultivate, both professionally and personally. It is all about our ability to overcome challenges with positivity and perseverance. It’s our bounce-back-ability! Let’s take a look at some of the ways to develop our sense of resilience for use in every part of our lives.

Focus on the things you can control

Instead of dwelling on what is beyond your capacity to control, let’s focus on the things we can work towards changing. Building resilience is also about knowing how to take actions to remedy issues and knowing when it is beyond our ability to do. Understanding this element of our actions can be a helpful factor when thinking about what influences our behaviours to overcome challenges in effective ways.

Build supportive networks

Foster strong, supportive relationships with family, friends and colleagues who can help you to navigate tricky situations by providing a sounding board for new ideas or simply a shoulder to cry on when things are tough. Equally, it’s valuable for yourself to be there for others! Being supportive to others not only strengthens your relationships but also builds your own resilience by creating a sense of purpose and community, expanding your insights to build a stronger sense of empathy and broader understanding of others’ situations.

Spend time problem solving

When faced with a challenge, it can be helpful to stand back and think about the wider picture to break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. This can make the problem seem less overwhelming and help us establish a productive means for combating challenges in the future. Mistakes are one of the best ways to learn! Reflect on how you’ve overcome difficulties in the past and apply those lessons to current challenges by thinking about what you identified as learning curves at the time and how they might relate to your current problem.

Set realistic goals and priorities

Set goals that are realistic and achievable, but are challenging enough to feel like progress. This will help you motivate yourself towards achieving them. In turns, achieving your goals contributes towards creating a sense of direction and accomplishment.

Embrace change and work with adaptability

Cultivate an adaptable growth mindset by being open to new experiences and willing to adjust your plans when necessary. Incorporating this sense of adaptability into your everyday makes it easier to navigate more significant changes if, and when, they arise in more stressful situations. Change is good! Instead of fearing change, see it as an opportunity for personal growth and learning and a chance to explore new skillsets.